Cloth-stretching rolls



Feb. 3. 1925.

' 25,42 C. G. RICHARDSON CLOTH STRETCHING ROLLS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June '27, 1921 Feb. 3. 1925.

C. G. RICHARDSON CLOTH STRETCHING ROLLS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fi1ed June 2'7 1921 ,RUWWT? Patented Feb. 3, i925.

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CHARLES o. nmHAnnsoN,onsrnrnerrnnn, vain/tour, .assienonro rnnnsa .WooLson necnmn COMPANY, onsrzamerrn n, vnnivronnn. conronarron .or

VERMONT.

J cLorrn srn-nronrne nors.

Applicationfiled June 27, 1921'. Serial No. 489,652

To all whom it in (41/ camera.

,Be it known that 1, CHARLES G. RICHARD- sorua citizen of the United States, and resident of Springfield, in the county-ofdvindsor and State of Vermont, have. invented certain new and useful Improvements inare intended to provide a device ofthis class which shall more perfectly perform this operation of stretching cloth transversely,

whilev at the same time freeing -it from wrinkles and operating at a minimum expenditure of power.

Cloth stretching rolls maybe used in two different ways. tively rotated so as to draw the cloth over the roll by the rotation of the roll-,or they may operate-as idler rolls,- rotation: being imparted thereto by the travel of the cloth that is drawn over the roll by some other means. In either case theperipheral lags which frictionally engage the cloth and which are moved longitudinally apart for the stretching operation are subjected to tangential or circumferential stress which 7 ing therelation of the roller contacts to the tends to tilt or tip the lags engaged upon their bearing support and ilso to axial stress due to the longitudinal pressure or pull exerted for the purpose of stretching the cloth longitudinally of the roll and transversely of the cloth. A careful study of these machines show that the tangential stress, that is, stresses in the direction of the travel of the cloth over the roll cause the individual reciprocatory lags to bind on their bea ings thereby increasingthe resistance to their necessary longitudinal or axial movement, while at the same time imposing muchlengthwi-se strain upon-thecloth which tends to neutralize or impair the transverse stretching action which is the. main purpose to be accomplished.

The present invention is intended to overutilization of two novel principles of construction and arrangement, the first of these being the mounting of the axially mov g tact or guide roller which" supports the tan able lags entirely upon mnerton'aas by First, they may be posiwhich the least possible resistance is afforded to the longitudinal movement of the lags in the cloth stretchingoperation. while the second novel principle embodied is so arranging the bearing'supports of the individual lags, that the tangential or other stress incurred in the normal ope: ation of the machine is sustained in such away as to overcome the binding action due to the tangential stress upon the cloth thereby relieving the cloth of much of the strain lengthwise of the cloth, and thereby avoiding the tendency to neutralize or minimize the transverseor stretching action.

This and other featuresof the invention will be more particularly described in the following specification and will be defined in the claims hereto annexed. I

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated a convenient and practical construction and arrangement which embodies the principles of this invention, in which:

Figure 1 is a sideelevation showing the end and middle portion of a cloth stretching roll.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section. on the plane 2--2 of Figure 3.

Figure 3 is an end elevation of the cylinder and lag-actuating head partly broken away.

Figure 4 is an enlarged detaillongitudina-ls'ectionof the end of a single lag showlag and the actuating head.

Figure 5 is a transverse section showing a single lag mounted on the roller contacts of the central supporting structure. Figure 6 is a plan view of the same. Figure 7 is a detail of the cam member. In the practice ofthis invention, according to the specific form thereof illustrated in thedrawings, I provide a longitudinal central-shaft 1 to which is secured series of lagsu-pporting spiders 2 arranged to support-two cooperating aligned sets of lags 3-3 to permit them to move longitudinall toward and away from each other. Near its opposite endseach individual lag -3 isfproyide'dwitha longitudinal recess to form a run-w a'y andin this recess is mountme th difii u s and. d s s by th flecl abearing track 5 com rising outwardl extending parallel longitudinal flanges 5 forming, so to speak, a longitudinal or ially extended track for engaging the co11- gential or circumferential stress exerted upon the lag by the pull of the cloth. The track has also inwardly projecting parallel flanges 5* whose inner ends are turned inwardly toward each other to form retaining lips or flanges 5, thus forming a runway or track for rollers which support the radial stress or pressure of the lags.

The supporting spiders 2 are here shown as comprising five radial arms into the outer end of each of which is driven a radial pin 7 and a transverse pin 6. On the radial pin is carried a contact roller 9 whose diameter is slightly less than the space between the two track flanges 5 The transverse or tangential pin 6 projects through both sides of this supporting arm 2 to carry on its projecting ends a pair of contact rollers 8 whose diameters are slightly less than the perpendicular distance between the inturned flanges 5 and the tangential body portion 5 of the bracket, which latter is attached to the lag as shown in Figure 4 by means of screws or the like.

As it is very desirable that no rust should be deposited upon the lag it is preferred that the bearing bracket 5 and the contact rollers 8 and 9 should be of rust-less metal such as brass or bronze, and inasmuch as the spiders will ordinarily be made of iron or steel, rustless washers 10 and 11 are interposed between the contact rollers and the adjacent portions of the spider to prevent the deposit of rust upon the rollers.

Suitable means may be provided for imparting reciprocatory or axial to and fro movement to each series of lags. The construction herein shown for that purpose comprises a roller carrying bracket secured to the outer end of each lag and carrying a radial pin 21 on which is mounted a rotary roller 22 in a plane tangential to the circle of rotation. This roller is located between parallel peripheral flanges 14 and 15 of a stationary cam-like head 13 which is mounted in any suitable manner at each end of the cloth stretching roll so as to be held against rotation. In this case the cam head 13 is mounted directly on the shaft 1 and has an interlocking engagement with the stationary roll-supporting standard 18 as shown at 16 so as to hold the actuating cam against rotation As shown in the drawings, this cam forms a roller engaging track whose plane is inclined endwise to the axis or to the path of rotation so that with each revolution of the cloth stretching drum or roll, each pair of axially aligned lags are given one complete in and out stroke or reciprocation longitudinally of the stretch roll. As shown in Figure 2, the heads or track cams oppositely incline to each other so that each one of a cooperating pair of lags moves longitudinally in the direction opposite to the movement of the other so that they may alternately move together and move apart. As is understood by those skilled in the art, the cloth to be stretched comes into contact with successive pairs of lags when the lags are in their inward position near to each other and then during the further revolution of the stretch roll the lags are gradually drawn apart so as to stretch the cloth longitudinally of the roll and transversely of the cloth, the cloth leaving contact with the cylinder at the point where each pair of lags are at their position of greatest extension or separation. In short, the cloth supporting surface of the stretch roll is continuously extended or lengthened over that portion of its periphery with which the cloth is in contact, and is contracted over those portions of the periphery that have lost contact with the cloth.

It will be seen that the carrying of the contact roller which supports the tangential stress or pull of the cloth up inside the lag will bring the thrust or strain directly against the anti-friction supporting contact, whereas, if the bearing support for receiving this strain is located well inside the inner surface of the lag according to practice heretofore, the tangential pull or stress tends to produce a torque or tilting strain on the lag which causes it to bind and greatly increases its resistance to the stretching movement which results in putting additional strain lengthwise of the cloth which means that the lateral stretching action is rendered less effective. Furthermore, the radial pressure or pull of the cloth is supported by rolling contact of the lag upon the rollers that rotate in planes longitudinal of the stretch roll, and when the lags approach their lowermost positions their weight causes them to hang upon the flanges 5 in contact with the opposite sides of these longitudinal bearing rolls.

It will, therefore, be seen that the indi vidual lags are slidingly mounted on a central or interior supporting structure provided with a plurality of supporting and retaining rollers some rotative about tangential axes, and some about radial axes to support, respectively, radial and tangential strains and that the rollers supporting the tangential pull or thrust are carried out well into the lag itself thereby establishing roller contacts substantially in line with and directly opposed to the tangential stresses.

It will also be observed that the housing rollways forming, so to speak, track portions of the lags act as keepers to keep the rollers from coming off their pins thus dis pensing with fastening pins, collars, nuts or the like. The spiders simply have holes to receive radial and tangential pins and when the pins become unduly worn they may be removed andreplacedby new pins.

Thedagsmay be removed:individually= from their contact' 'orsupportingrollsby' sliding'thenront lengthwise through a gate cam member :or head when the spider-is 're "volved to bring theipartich'l-ar dag toabe removed in' line: with saidbpening. Normallyrthe gateway or gap. 15* maybe closed by a detachable plate or section 15 which isfastened by 'screwsor other suitable means to each cain'member.

'As cloth is usually. stretched in 'wet' condition,fthe rust-less washers l0 and 11' of bronze or 'equivalentmaterial pressed onto the pins 6 and 7 protect against the "spread of rust to the lags and toyt-he cloth. As'to thelag-actuating'rolls carried at the 'ends ofeach lagare entirely beyond the ends of the -;lag it isnot so important 'that they should bemade of rustless material.

What I claimis 1. 'Inalcl'oth"stretching roll, thecombinationof-aninterior revfolublesupporting strueture,-- a circnin' ferenti al series of longitudinally movable lags whose :outer surfa.ces are adapted to= form frictional engagement with the cloth being stretcl-1ed, a series ot bearing rollers interposed between individual lags and the adjacent portions of the supporting structure with their several axes of rotation disposed to afford roller contacts to sustain both the radial and the lateral thrusts exerted upon each lag by the tension of the cloth being stretched, substantially as described.

2. I11 a cloth stretching roll, the combination of a central shaft, lag-supporting spiders projecting therefrom and provided with a series of lag-supporting and guiding rollers mounted at the ends of each spider arm, a series of longitudinally movable lags having bearing engagen'ient with said rollers to support the lags both laterally and radially against circumferential and radial thrust while the stretching roll is in action to stretch the cloth, substantially as described.

3. In a cloth stretching roll, the combination of an interior supporting structure, groups of bearing rollers mounted circumferentially thereon to turn about radial and tangential axes, a series of peripheral lags slidingly supported by corresponding groups of rollers so as to have free sliding movement lengthwise of the stretch roll while being held against radial and circumferential stress by said rollers, and means for causing said lags to reciprocate upon said rollers as the stretch roll revolves, substantially as described.

4. In a cloth stretching roll, the combination 01 a series of peripheral longitudinal lags provided with roller engaging track portions, a revoluble interior supporting structure carrying circuinferentially arranged lag supporting rolls having lag sup porting and retaining roller-contacts with track-port1onso said-lags, and ineans 'for causing said-lags to'niove to and fro longituor.- opening 15 in the outer-flange leof eachdinal'ly asthe' stretch -roll' revolves substanti'ally as described.

5. In a c-loth stretclnng roll, the combinatlon of an interlor:revolnblerlag-supporting structure, a circumterentially-- arranged series; of longitudinalclothengaging and stretching lags slidably 1 supported thereon entirely by rollercontacts arranged to afford anti friction support against all transverse stresses-towhich the lagsare subjectedby the tensionoi 'the cloth being stretched, and

cam-engaged rollers exerting endwise thrust on-sa1d"lags to c-ause thein' to reciprocate 1 longitudinally of the stretch roll as the latter revolves, substantially as described.

6. In a- 'cloth stretching ro ll,"thecon1bination of a' rev'oluble-shaft,--lag-oarrying spi- F ders mounted thereon; a SBILBS of longitudinally movable aperlphera-l -l=ags arranged around said spiders andlag supporting rolls forming interl-nediate bearing supports =between'the lags and the-spider arranged to slustainthe tangentialstress/exerted on the lags by i the pull of the clot-hi and thereby prevent=tilting of the lag' laterally, substantially as described.

7. In a cloth stretching roll, the combination with peripheral cloth-engaging lags of a revoluble interior supporting structure, peripherally arranged groups of bearing rollers carried thereby to form rolling contact and support for the cloth lags, a series of peripheral cloth lags provided with interior recesses to receive inserted rolls whereby antifriction bearing support is atforded each lag in direct opposition to the tangential stress exerted by the cloth being stretched, substantially as described.

8. In a. cloth stretching roll, the combination of opposed reciprocatory lags, a. revoluble interior supporting structure including radially projecting spiders provided witlrseries of circumferentially disposed roller carrying pins arranged radially and tangentially to the axis of rotation of the supporting structure, a. series of housings formed to! track against the rollers and also retain the rollers upon their pins, substantially as described.

9. In a cloth stretching roll, the co1nbination of a revolubly interior supporting structure, a cirouniferentially arranged series of rollers carried thereby, a peripheral series of lags slidingly supported by said rollers, said lags being provided with roller engaging housings formed with roller engaging surfaces or tracks arranged on opposite sides of the rollers, whereby the lags are supported and retained against radial movement, substantially as described.

structure, series of circumferentially arranged rollers carried upon two series of pins angularly disposed with relation to each other, and reciprocatory circumferential lags slidingly supported by said rollers against both radial and circumferential thrust, substantially as described.

'11. In a cloth stretching roll, the combination of an interior revoluble supporting structure, a circumferential series of reciprocatory lags mounted thereon, a cam like head located adjacent to each end of the stretch roll, each head inclined toward the othei, a'series of lag actuating rolls connected with said lags in position to engage said inclined heads, each head being provided with a gateway for permitting the removal in an axial direction of the individual lags, substantially as! described.

12. In a cloth stretching roll, the combination of a re-voluble interior supporting structure, circumferential lags having supporting and retaining connection with sup porting structures only by rolling contacts, lag actuating members located at opposite ends of the stretch roll to cause reciprocaltion of the lags, said actuating members being constructed to permit endwise movement of the lags until the lags are disengaged from retainingconnection with the rollers, substantially as described.

13. In a cloth stretching roll, the combination of an interior revoluble supporting structure, series of circumferentially arranged reciprocatory lags, housings secured thereto, each housing being formed with series of roller engaging track port-ions, one set of tracks located inside the lags themselves and the other set being arranged nearer to the central axis in planes tangential to the axis of rotation, and antifriction rollers mounted on the supporting structure to project between said tracks, substantially as described.

14. In a cloth stretching roll, the combination of an interior revoluble supporting structure, a series of lag supporting rollers circumferentially mounted upon said structure, said rollers being of rustlessinaterial, and washers of rust-less material interposed between the rollers and the supporting structure, housings provided with roller engaging track members, and lags secured to said housings, substantially as described.

In witness whereof, I have subscribed the above specification.

CHARLES Gr. RICHARDSON. 

